At Leonard Joel on Thursday October 25th an evening auction of 200 aboriginal works of art and tribal artefacts were offered for auction. Sophie Ullin, our resident Aboriginal & Tribal art specialist, carefully selected these works for both provenance and fair market price and the result was perfect for a market that is clearly in its early restoration phase. Prices achieved ranged from several hundred dollars through to ten thousand plus works and the well attended room displayed keen interest in certain artists. Sophie Ullin after the auction commented: “It was clear tonight that the collectors present remain passionate about aboriginal art and are committed to remaining in the market and ensuring the viability of a secondary market that, like it or not, is critical to the integrity of the aboriginal art market as a whole. At Leonard Joel we are committed to step by step rebuilding confidence and price stability in this market and I believe we are heading in the right direction. Of the 200 plus works offered we enjoyed a sale rate by lot of 79% and by value of 62%. People who know the challenges facing this market will know that these numbers bode well for a gradual recovery.”
Highlights of the auction included a work by Emily Kame Kngwarreye lot 119 that realised $12,200 IBP and a rather unusual group of spearheads lot 26 that after strong bidding realised $2,684 IBP. The steady march toward more “digital” auctions was also clear with the greatest number of live online bidders recorded for any art auction. Entries are now being invited for our next boutique aboriginal art auction scheduled for 2013.
For enquiries contact
Sophie Ullin
Aborginal Art Specialist
t: (03) 8825 5609
e: Sophie Ullin
EMILY KAME KNGWARREYE (CIRCA 1910-1996)
Alatyite (Spinifex Tuber) 1994
acrylic on linen
signed ‘Emily’ verso
inscribed with artist’s name, title, date and Utopia Art cat. no. number ‘EKK435’ verso
150 x 150cm
OTHER NOTES
Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Utopia Art, Alice Springs
Sold for $ 10,000